Written Answers Monday 30 July 2007

Scottish Executive

Concessionary Fares

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has been notified of any funding deficits in the operation of the concessionary fares scheme and, if so, what the deficits have been each year since the scheme came into operation, broken down by local authority area.

Stewart Stevenson: In the first year of operation (2006-07) the concessionary fares scheme for older and disabled people experienced no funding deficits.

Dentistry

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many dentists have provided NHS dental services in each year since 1999, expressed also as a percentage of all dentists and broken down by NHS board.

Shona Robison: The number of dentists (headcount) who have provided NHS general dental services, broken down by NHS board, is shown in the following table. It is not possible to express these numbers as a percentage of all dentists, as information on dentists who provide only private treatment is not held centrally.

  Number of Dentists1,2,3 who have Provided NHS General Dental Services in the Years Ending 31 March 1999-2006

  

NHS Board
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006


Scotland
1,958
1,982
1,991
2,037
2,078
2,105
2,153
2,301


Argyll and Clyde
183
176
180
183
179
186
182
199


Ayrshire and Arran
141
135
133
131
134
143
147
150


Borders
42
42
43
45
43
39
39
42


Dumfries and Galloway
43
47
43
40
42
44
43
44


Fife
143
142
145
143
147
138
140
171


Forth Valley
96
98
100
105
108
104
112
119


Grampian
173
174
169
171
177
182
191
198


Greater Glasgow
409
416
416
430
438
445
474
489


Highland
82
83
82
87
85
85
92
100


Lanarkshire
202
207
205
209
217
229
234
237


Lothian
356
364
364
372
383
384
384
395


Orkney
4
6
6
7
6
9
9
11


Shetland
7
8
7
11
11
12
12
13


Tayside
172
175
180
179
184
179
183
211


Western Isles
12
12
12
7
10
9
10
14



  Source: Management Information and Dental Accounting System.

  Notes

  1. Includes non-salaried principal dentists, GDS salaried dentists, assistants and vocational trainees.

  2. Data for years prior to the year ending 31 March 2006 have been revised. Double/triple counting within the General Dental Service (GDS) has been eliminated.

  3. Due to improvements in the collection of information on GDS salaried dentists, figures from September 2005 include some GDS salaried dentists not previously recorded.

  There are a number of cases where a salaried post will be recorded under a generic name and not under the name of a specific dentist. Numerous dentists may work in this post at any given time. For years prior to September 2005 it was assumed that, since there was no named individual recorded, a permanent dentist was not in post. As a result, all posts recorded without a named individual were previously excluded from GDS salaried dentist counts. However, information is now available on the individuals who fill these posts. These dentists can now be included in the GDS salaried dentist count, which has resulted in a significant increase in the number of salaried dentists.

Diabetes

John Farquhar Munro (Ross, Skye and Inverness West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide funding and clinical support for the use of insulin pump therapy for all those with type 1 diabetes whose multiple daily injections are failing.

Shona Robison: This is one of the key actions in the Diabetes Action Plan. NHS boards are expected to find the necessary funding and clinical support from within their existing resources, and the Scottish Government will monitor the progress in meeting this key action of the plan.

Drug Misuse

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many detoxification beds for drug misusers have been available in each NHS board area in each year since 1999.

Shona Robison: The specific information requested is not available routinely.

  Some information on the number of detoxification beds for drug misusers may be contained within alcohol and drug action team corporate action plans. These can be accessed on the Drug Misuse Information Scotland website: http://www.drugmisuse.isdscotland.org/dat/cap/dat.htm.

  Specific information on the number of detoxification beds for drugs misusers may also be available directly from NHS boards.

Environment

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will build in consideration of the implications of carbon emissions in the strategic spending review announced on 28 June 2007.

John Swinney: Along with my Cabinet Secretary and Ministerial colleagues, I will be in dialogue with a range of stakeholders over the summer to gather evidence and views on how we can use the strategic spending review to set plans that will enable us to fulfil our purpose and achieve our strategic objectives. Reducing carbon emissions will be part of that consideration.

  Parliament will play its role in scrutinising the Government’s spending plans after we have announced them later in the autumn.

Equal Pay

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what financial assistance it will provide to local authorities to settle claims for equal pay.

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will assist local authorities to fund single status agreements in the future.

John Swinney: There are no plans to make any specific funding available to assist local government in settling their equal pay claims. The 2007 Strategic Spending Review, which is currently underway, will be an opportunity for the Scottish Government to consider all the pressures facing local government over the next three years.

Housing

Bill Wilson (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of new homes being built for sale over the next five years will be wheelchair-accessible and barrier-free.

Stewart Maxwell: The proportion of new, wheelchair-accessible, barrier-free homes that will be built over the next five years will depend on the pattern of public and private house building and conversions.

  From the 1 May 2007, building regulations require that all new homes are significantly more accessible, without many of the barriers to use that are present in older properties. This applies irrespective of additional provision for accessibility required by Communities Scotland for houses which it funds, or by local authorities’ planning requirements.

Housing

Bill Wilson (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many wheelchair-accessible and barrier-free homes have been built by local authorities in each of the last five years.

Stewart Maxwell: The following table shows the total number of houses completed by local authorities in each of the last five years and the number of these which were sheltered wheelchair housing. This is defined as housing for elderly people confined to wheelchairs built or adapted to wheelchair standards and with an alarm call link to a warden.

  Information is not held centrally on the number of houses which were wheelchair-accessible or which were barrier-free.

  

 
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006


All houses completed by local authorities:
51
53
0
0
6


Of which sheltered wheelchair housing.
  27
  53
  0
  0
  0



  Source:- New build returns by local authorities to the Scottish Executive.

Housing

Jamie Hepburn (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average cost is of constructing a home for social let.

Stewart Maxwell: The average total cost for constructing a home for social rent in 2006-07 was £117,762.

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what services it expects NHS boards to provide for sufferers of ME/chronic fatigue syndrome.

Shona Robison: We would expect services for people living with CFS/ME to be in line with our general approach to services for those with any long term condition. These should be personal, fully integrated, responsive to the totality of people’s needs and delivered as close to people’s homes as possible.

  As indicated in the answer to S3W-1744, answered on 23 July 2007, we are supportive of plans to develop a managed clinical network approach to services for people with CFS/ME.

  All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Osteoporosis

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what importance it places on ensuring that osteoporosis sufferers have access to appropriate treatment, advice and support.

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will challenge the recent guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence which recommends that only one drug, alendronate, be prescribed for the treatment of osteoporosis, given that one quarter of people with osteoporosis are either unable to take alendronate or do not respond to it as well as to other drugs.

Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-1936 on 23 July 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

Osteoporosis

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the National Osteoporosis Society about improving services for osteoporosis patients.

Shona Robison: The National Osteoporosis Society is a member of the Long Term Conditions Alliance Scotland, with which we are working in partnership on implementation of our long term conditions strategy.

  The Society was represented on the Falls Working Group which produced the framework for falls prevention incorporated in Health Department Letter (2007)13 issued on 21 February 2007.

Prescriptions

Aileen Campbell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients have been supplied their medication by post, broken down by NHS board and parliamentary constituency, in each of the last five years.

Shona Robison: This information is not collected centrally.

Prescriptions

Aileen Campbell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive under what conditions patients are supplied with their medication by post.

Shona Robison: It is not a requirement under the terms of the NHS Pharmaceutical Services (Scotland) Regulations for pharmacists to supply patients with their medicines by post. However, patients may be supplied with their medication by post when the dispensing pharmacy (community or hospital) is unable to supply some or any of a prescribed item and it is not possible for the patient or the carer to return to the pharmacy to collect the outstanding item(s).

Prescriptions

Aileen Campbell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what guidelines there are for the supply of medication to patients by post.

Shona Robison: Guidance for pharmacists supplying medication to patients by post is contained in the Code of Ethics for Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians and supporting guidance produced by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain. This can be found at www.rpsgb.org .

  The Royal Mail provides advice to its customers on items it will carry and its requirements for acceptance of items including medicines. This advice can be found at www.royalmail.com.

Rail Network

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in order to ensure that Glasgow Crossrail delivers value for money and benefits travellers and the economy, it will invite Audit Scotland to review plans for the project.

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in order to ensure that electrification of the Glasgow to Edinburgh rail line delivers value for money and benefits travellers and the economy, it will invite Audit Scotland to review plans for the project.

Stewart Stevenson: Transport Scotland understands that Audit Scotland will shortly commence its value for money study Major Capital Projects Review. It is for Audit Scotland to determine which specific projects will be studied.

  As with all projects of this scale we will assess the value for money and affordability by considering it through the Strategic Transport Projects Review which is due to report in summer 2008.

Rail Network

Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the timetable is for the fitting of controlled emission toilets on trains running north from Inverness.

Stewart Stevenson: There is no timetable for the fitting of controlled emission toilets on the trains running north from Inverness.

Roads

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in order to ensure that the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route delivers value for money and benefits travellers and the economy, it will invite Audit Scotland to review plans for the route.

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in order to ensure that the M80 Stepps to Haggs project delivers value for money and benefits travellers and the economy, it will invite Audit Scotland to review plans for the project.

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in order to ensure that the M8 Baillieston to Newhouse project delivers value for money and benefits travellers and the economy, it will invite Audit Scotland to review plans for the project.

Stewart Stevenson: Transport Scotland understands that Audit Scotland will shortly commence its value for money study Major Capital Projects Review. It is for Audit Scotland to determine which specific projects will be studied.

Roads

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive why there has been a delay of a year to the projected completion date of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route; when any causes of the delay occurred; what contribution each made to the delay, and when ministers were informed of each of the reasons for delay.

Stewart Stevenson: I refer the member to the question S3W-1672 answered on 19 July 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

  Ministers were made aware of the revised schedule for the scheme, prior to my Statement to Parliament on 27 June 2007.

Scottish Executive Recruitment

Derek Brownlee (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the potential savings of moving its recruitment advertising online.

John Swinney: The Scottish Executive already uses online recruitment advertising but Civil Service Commission rules do not permit it being used as the only advertising medium. The potential for shared online recruitment advertising across public bodies in Scotland is being studied. The Government is keen for this to be developed to reduce the cost of advertising.

Student Finance

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase bursary provision for Scottish students studying in Scotland, in light of the increase in student bursaries announced by the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills, raising the threshold for a full bursary to £25,000 and awarding partial bursaries to students whose combined parental income is up to £60,000.

Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Executive is currently undertaking a number of projects which will review both full-time and part-time student support. We will publish our findings and plans once we have carried out appropriate options appraisal and consultation with stakeholders.

Transport

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, following the transport strategic spending review, it is satisfied with the (a) accuracy of the cost of and (b) assessment of risk involved in the Glasgow Crossrail project.

Stewart Stevenson: The Review undertaken by Audit Scotland related to the current inherited projects committed for funding, as set out on the Transport Scotland website: www.transportscotland.gov.uk/projects .

  Strathclyde Partnership for Transport who are responsible for promoting Glasgow Crossrail will be able to provide an assessment of the cost and accuracy of risk involved in this proposal.